Description
Alf Barrett Playground is a largely hard-landscaped open space with a number of plane trees along the boundary railings to Old Gloucester Street. A sculpture of Humphry, a well-known local cat set on a granite plinth was unveiled by the Mayor of Camden, Cllr Ray Adamson, in October 1997.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Old Gloucester Street Gardens |
|---|---|
| Site location | Old Gloucester Street |
| Postcode | WC1N 3AS |
| What3Words | ///discrepancy.cotton.rests |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Camden |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 7.30am - dusk |
| Special Conditions | no dogs, children to be accompanied by an adult |
| Facilities | play facilities for children 1-13; outdoor gym |
| Public Transport | Tube: Russell Square (Piccadilly), Holborn (Central). Bus:59, 68, 91, 168 |
| Research Updated | 1 October 2014 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The playground is used by local children, including those from the nearby Great Ormand Street Hospital. Humphry was resident cat for 18 years at the Mary Ward Centre in Queen Square and gained his name from the founder of the Centre; the sculptor was Marcia Solway, a student of sculpture at the Centre. The sculpture was originally installed in Queen Square Garden (q.v.) but resited here. The playground offers a range of play equipment including items for children with disabilities. There is a wide slide, with easy access and a roundabout that wheelchairs can be pushed on and secured. Play facilities for ages 1-13. Free outdoor gym
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ304818 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Camden |
| Site Management | Parks & Open Spaces |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Camden |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Bloomsbury |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Area |
| Other LA Designation | Open Space; CLA; Designated View: 5A.2 Greenwich Park Wolfe statue to Tower Bridge/Right Lateral Assessment Area |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Queen Square was built between 1713-25, with its central garden laid out in 1716, an elongated rectangle originally open on the north side. A statue of a crowned queen, thought to represent Queen Charlotte or possibly Anne or Mary II, is in the north of the garden. A number of Victorian hospitals were built on the square, the Italian Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology, and nearby is Great Ormond Street Hospital. A sculpture commissioned by Friends of the Children of Great Ormond Street was erected in the garden in 2001. Today the garden has areas of lawn, roses, bedding displays and a variety of trees, together with a number of artefacts and sculptural works.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Bloomsbury Square was laid out in the early 1660s on land then owned by the Earl of Southampton, but from 1723 became part of the Bedford Estate. The central garden originally had a cruciform layout. From 1800 the 5th Duke of Bedford began developing his estate, demolishing Bedford House to the north of Bloomsbury Square. He commissioned Humphry Repton to redesign Bloomsbury Square in c1806 and by the 1820s there was a large lawn with oval line of trees in the centre, perimeter shrubbery and walk, and an oval shrubbery in each corner. The layout changed at various times throughout the C20th but refurbishment carried out in 2006/7 reflected elements of Repton’s layout, and restored views and links to Russell Square.
Bloomsbury Square was laid out in the early 1660s on land then owned by the Earl of Southampton, but from 1723 became part of the Bedford Estate. The central garden originally had a cruciform layout. From 1800 the 5th Duke of Bedford began developing his estate, demolishing Bedford House to the north of Bloomsbury Square. He commissioned Humphry Repton to redesign Bloomsbury Square in c1806 and by the 1820s there was a large lawn with oval line of trees in the centre, perimeter shrubbery and walk, and an oval shrubbery in each corner. The layout changed at various times throughout the C20th but refurbishment carried out in 2006/7 reflected elements of Repton’s layout, and restored views and links to Russell Square.
Red Lion Square was laid out from the late C17th as a speculative venture and derives its name from the Red Lion Inn in Holborn. Among stories surrounding Oliver Cromwell's bodily remains (d.1658) is that in 1661 his exhumed corpse and that of Ireton and Bradshaw were brought to Red Lion Inn and buried nearby, with dummies substituted and taken to Tyburn. In 1737 an Act of Parliament was passed for 'beautifying' the square and in 1894 the freehold passed to the MPGA who then passed it free of cost to the LCC for use as a pleasure ground. The garden contains various commemorative statues, including to Bertrand Russell and Fenner Brockway, and at one time had a sculpture of Pocahontas. A handkerchief tree was planted here for the victims of the Lockerbie air disaster.
